Furze Infants' School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that there is greater consistency in the quality of teaching, by:
  • agreeing clear expectations of pupils’ outcomes for each year group
  • planning activities that meet the learning needs of all pupils
  • ensuring that pupils have access to appropriate resources to support their learning.
• Extend early reading and writing development in early years, by planning opportunities for children in Reception Year to write independently and to apply their phonics skills within their writing.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The executive headteacher and the hard federation with Warren Junior School offer the school strong leadership capacity for future improvement.
• The head of school works well with the federation and has developed a skilled leadership team whose members share a realistic understanding of school self-evaluation.
• Leaders at all levels demonstrate strong ambition, ability and enthusiasm to develop consistency in the quality of teaching.
• Middle leaders work in teams to develop a curriculum that is exciting and wide ranging. Leaders have identified that at times, there is insufficient challenge within tasks for all groups of pupils.
• Leaders ensure that assessment procedures are robust. Outcomes of pupil progress meetings are shared widely to identify pupils who require additional support.
• Leaders manage the performance of teachers well. High-quality professional development opportunities from the federation’s teaching school raise expectations for pupils’ outcomes.
• Leaders, including governors, use the additional funding the school receives to support disadvantaged pupils effectively. The pupil premium funding provides an extensive range of intervention support that is matched to meet individual learning needs. The physical education (PE) and sport premium funding is also used wisely to raise the quality of PE across the school.
• The leadership of SEND is strong. The school works closely with the local authority in the early identification of pupils who may have special educational needs. Teachers plan an effective range of activities to meet pupils’ learning needs, and teaching assistants offer strong additional support.
• Leaders have developed effective provision for additional support in literacy and numeracy skills for pupils who receive SEND support. The impact of this is tracked carefully to ensure that pupils make good progress.

Governance of the school

• Governors are knowledgeable and know their school well. They present strong challenge to the executive headteacher and ask the right questions to move the school forward.
• Governors have been instrumental in creating the hard federation with Warren Junior School. The federation gives the school strong leadership capacity, and teachers benefit from a wide range of training opportunities available in the teaching school.
• Governors know the parents well and they are highly aspirational for all the children. They fulfil all of their statutory responsibilities and have a clear understanding of the strengths and areas for further development.
• Governors are regular visitors to the school and meet with key staff in their role as link governors. The governor responsible for safeguarding works closely with the designated safeguarding lead to ensure that all systems are rigorous in keeping children safe.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The designated safeguarding lead is well known to all staff. Clearly understood systems are in place to report initial concerns.
• Staff and governors are well trained in keeping children safe, and regular updates are given to all staff to raise awareness of potential risks.
• Records are detailed and the school’s safeguarding team works closely with the local authority to ensure that referrals are made when needed and effective support is put in place.
• The school’s inclusion support group has responded well to the needs of the community and is effective in offering early help to vulnerable families.
• Parents report that their children enjoy school, feel safe and are listened to. Pupils know whom to go to when they need help and are confident that all members of staff listen to their concerns.
• Curriculum leaders ensure that safeguarding themes of ‘stranger danger’, online safety and keeping safe in the community are included within the curriculum.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Leaders monitor the quality of teaching and learning effectively. They have identified some variability in teaching, and recognise that this has an effect on the consistency of pupils’ outcomes.
• The senior leadership team has identified this as a key priority. Support for teachers has been arranged from the teaching school to develop teachers’ subject knowledge to address the learning needs of all pupils.
• Where teaching is confident, pupils are fully engaged in exciting learning opportunities and pupils’ outcomes reflect the high expectations of the teacher.
• Assessment information is used skilfully to guide the learning. Activities are well planned to assess progress. Teachers are confident in using questioning to deepen pupils’ thinking.
• Accurate teacher assessment supports the strong progress being made by pupils in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Teachers place a high importance on speaking and listening opportunities across all year groups to extend language development. A rich resource of reading materials is available to develop vocabulary and to engage pupils in discussion to explore the meaning of the text. Pupils are confident readers and are able to use a wide range of phonic strategies to self-correct when reading aloud.
• Pupils take a pride in their work and presentation is of a high standard. Teachers offer frequent opportunities to pupils to discuss their learning and reflect on their outcomes.
• The school is successful in meeting the learning needs of pupils with SEND. Leaders ensure that all pupils make good progress from their individual starting points.
• Teaching assistants are used well to support learning. They engage with all ability groups and model learning effectively to deepen pupils’ understanding of tasks. The use of teaching assistants to offer additional support in literacy and numeracy is also highly effective.
• Subject leaders have identified links across the wider curriculum to broaden pupils’ understanding of the world around them. Pupils apply and transfer their skills, knowledge and understanding across a range of subjects. Links and visits enrich the pupils’ learning experience. These include links with local businesses, and visits to the vets, supermarkets, woods, beaches, places of worship and theatres.
• The quality of PE is a strength of the school through the effective partnership with local sports coaches.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils report that they enjoy coming to school and are well cared for. Pupils feel safe and know that they are listened to. Incidents of bullying and name-calling are extremely rare, but when they do occur, they are addressed immediately and appropriate support is put in place for pupils and families.
• A wide range of play activities is available at playtimes, and adults ensure that everyone is included. A buddying system of older pupils supporting younger pupils promotes a strong sense of well-being for all. A social skills room is available at playtimes for pupils who may be feeling lonely or vulnerable.
• School leaders know their pupils and families very well; the head of school knows each child individually. This gives pupils a strong sense of belonging and pride in their school community.
• A play counsellor is employed to support the self-esteem, confidence and well-being of vulnerable pupils. Parents are also offered early help from the federation’s family support worker to ensure that vulnerable families receive the support they require.
• School leaders have established links with a wide range of outside agencies to raise pupils’ awareness of the need to keep safe in the wider community. This includes visits from the local police service, fire officers and people who help in the community.
• All pupils are welcome at this inclusive school. Staff ensure that specific learning needs are met with appropriate support from an additional adult where needed. Pupils are extremely polite, caring and respectful to the need of others and show empathy and understanding towards their peers with SEND.
• Pupils have a strong understanding of healthy eating and understand the need for regular exercise to keep fit and healthy.
• A breakfast club is available to pupils, and school leaders are keen to develop further after-school provision.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils display very positive attitudes to their learning. They are curious, ambitious learners who enjoy school and are keen to achieve. Pupils respond well to teachers’ instructions and develop strong confidence and independence over time.
• Pupils report that staff are kind to them and present very positive role models for pupils to follow. Pupils show strong respect for differences, and diversity is celebrated through assemblies and classroom discussions.
• School leaders have developed a positive ethos across the school. This is reinforced through the strong spiritual, moral and social themes that are present in the display of work. One parent reported, ‘This is a great school that goes the extra mile for its pupils.’
• Pupils are supportive of each other and are always willing to listen to, and reflect on, the views of others. Pupils are sensitive to the needs of others and are willing to share their resources and take turns, from Nursery through to Year 2.
• Pupils understand the need to be well behaved and responsible. The school council gives pupils a voice in decision making within the school and allows pupils an understanding of democracy when voting for their chosen representatives.
• The attendance leader contacts families on the first morning of absence to ensure that pupils are safe. Holidays in term time are not authorised and the school has taken effective action to enable school attendance figures to be in line with the national average.
• The school’s family support worker, educational welfare officer, attendance lead and head of school work in effective partnership to reduce the number of pupils who are persistently absent. Support is offered to families to enable pupils to have good attendance.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils make strong progress over time and pupils’ attainment at the end of key stage 1 is higher than the national average.
• Most-able pupils have effective challenge within their learning, and outcomes for greater depth at the end of key stage 1 are higher than the national average.
• Pupils who speak English as an additional language make strong progress from their starting points on entry.
• Differences in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils are closing due to effective intervention and additional support funded by the pupil premium. A wide range of additional therapies, including speech and language interventions and pastoral support to raise self-esteem, have been effective.
• Pupils with SEND are identified early and a wide range of therapies and support is in place to meet their specific learning needs. Education, health and care plans are detailed and annotated regularly by teachers to record pupils’ progress.
• Outcomes at the end of the early years foundation stage are higher than the national average. However, opportunities for pupils to write independently and to apply their understanding of sounds are limited.
• Phonics is taught well and pupils attain higher than the national average in the Year 1 phonics screening check. Children are ready for further opportunities to apply their phonics skills within their writing in Reception Year.
• Pupils are confident in number, shape and measures and are encouraged to explain their work prior to recording it.
• Pupils apply themselves fully across the wider curriculum. Pupils’ outcomes in Year 2 reflect an exciting and stimulating curriculum.

Early years provision Good

• A high proportion of children enter Nursery with lower starting points than would be typical for children of this age range. The children make rapid progress in Nursery Year. By the end of Reception Year, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development, the standard expected, is higher than the national average.
• Leadership of the Nursery and Reception Year groups is effective and children make good progress. The learning environment is bright, stimulating and attractive, and children have high levels of engagement in all indoor and outdoor play activities. Safeguarding is effective across Nursery and Reception classes.
• Children are well supported by additional adults in Nursery and are taught specific skills through small focus groups. Children’s skills, knowledge and understanding are captured through the school’s electronic monitoring system. This builds a profile of what each child has achieved, and is shared with parents.
• Children engage well with each other and they are considerate and respectful of the needs of others. Behaviour is very positive, calm and purposeful. Children are enthusiastic in all tasks. Language development is modelled well by all staff and children use ambitious words correctly within play contexts.
• Early reading is supported through the sharing of stories, exploring sounds and role-play opportunities to recreate characters and events. Children have a wide range of opportunities for mark making in Nursery and they display a clear understanding that writing conveys meaning.
• The teaching of phonics is good across Nursery and Reception. However, children have limited opportunities within Reception Year to apply their phonics skills through independent writing opportunities. This has an effect on children’s confidence, and restricts outcomes for early writing development.
• Children make strong progress in their mathematics and are confident in early number, shape and space. As children enter Reception Year, opportunities are extended to develop their reasoning skills and to encourage mathematical recording of their work.
• The wider curriculum is both exciting and creative. Children are highly motivated, with strong levels of engagement in all activities across early years.

School details

Unique reference number 101203 Local authority Barking and Dagenham Inspection number 10058963 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Infant School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 3 to 7 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 511 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Glenda Paddle Executive Headteacher Gary Wilder OBE Telephone number 0208 270 4420 Website Email address http://furzeinfants.schooljotter2.com office@furze.bardaglea.org.uk Date of previous inspection 1 May 2018

Information about this school

• The school entered into a hard federation with Warren Junior School in 2010. Both schools share one governing body and are led by an executive headteacher.
• The day-to-day organisation of the infants’ school is led by the head of school and supported by two assistant headteachers.
• The school is larger than the average-sized infant school, and the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is in line with that in most schools nationally.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited all classrooms with senior leaders. They spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at their books.
• A meeting was held with the executive headteacher, deputy executive headteacher and head of school to discuss the federation and the school’s self-evaluation.
• A wide range of documents were made available to inspectors, including the school’s self-evaluation, the school development plan, monitoring records and assessment information.
• Inspectors listened to pupils read and met with the school council to gather their views about the school.
• Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders to discuss all aspects of school improvement.
• A meeting was held with the chair of governors and the vice-chair of governors responsible for safeguarding. There was also a meeting with the school improvement adviser from the local authority.
• An inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead and the attendance lead to view the school’s single central record and to view safeguarding documentation and attendance information.
• Inspectors observed pupils at playtime. Meetings took place to discuss behaviour, first-aid records and keeping children safe.
• Inspectors spoke with parents in the playground and also considered the 60 responses from the online questionnaire, Parent View, and the 32 responses received from Ofsted’s free-text service.

Inspection team

Tom Canning, lead inspector Jonathan Newby Susan Sutton Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector